Past, Present and Future
by Alex E. Andras
Summary: The Fellowship is setting out from Rivendell to embark on the Quest. Elrond reflects on the life of a certain human and on what the future will have in store for him. One Shot.


My first try at a Lord of the Rings story, so I'm not really sure how well it'll work, but I've hit a slight rift in some of my other fanfics, and this came into my head and needed to be written. I apologise for any badly spelt/translated elf words, I'm not that good with the language.

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Summary: The Fellowship is setting out from Rivendell to embark on the Quest. Elrond reflects on the life of a certain human and on what the future will have in store for him. 

Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings, that belongs to J.R.R. Tolkein, I don't own the movies, I don't own the characters, no matter how much I'd like to, I only own the laptop this was written on.

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Past, Present and Future

"The Ring-bearer is setting out on the Quest for Mount Doom. On him alone is any charge laid: neither to cast away the Ring, nor to deliver it to any servant of the Enemy nor indeed to let any handle it, save members of the Company and the Council, and then only then in gravest need. The others go with him as free companions, to help him on his way. You may tarry, or come back, or turn aside into other paths, as chance allows. No oath or bond is laid on you to go further than you will. For you do not yet know the strength of your hearts, and you cannot foresee what each may meet upon the road." Elrond paused then, an allowed his eyes to travel over the nine companions standing at the gates of Rivendell, studying each and every face for signs of how they felt about the task that lay before them, and wondering how each would fair.

"Farewell and may the blessing of Elves and Men and Free Folk go with you. May the stars shine upon your faces!"

As the nine turned, exiting from Rivendell to begin journey knowingly towards the dangers that lay before them, Elrond laid his gaze on one, and allowed himself to reminisce.

It had been only a little under a decade when he had first set eyes on him, and he had been little more than a babe then. Elrond had taken it as his duty to raise the child as well as possible whilst he was in his care, not knowing then just how well the tiny edan would find a place in his heart in such a short space of time.

For it had been little over a year or so after he had first entered Rivendell, when the child had fallen ill with his first serious illness that the Lord realised how well the boy had the entire realm wrapped around his little finger. It had been a sad week within the walls of Imladris as the child, with the help of Elrond, battled for his life, and it had been in that week that Elrond had first said the words _'ion-nin'_ and realised that he truly meant them, for the young edan had truly become like a son to him, and a brother to his own twin sons.

Since then, Elrond had kept a careful watch over the child, and continued to care for him, to sit at his beside every time he became sick or, as the years went on, wounded. He had been saddened to remember the short lifespan of the edan when he realised that he could no longer keep the child within the protective bubble of the Elvin Realm, and had explained to him of his true destiny, and then had watched the _young man_ set out from Rivendell to join the ranks of the Dúnadan. It had been then that Estel Elrondion – the Hope of Men – had left the safety of Imladris to stand at the teeth of the demon, for life as a Ranger was no easy task, and many times Elrond's twin sons Elrohir and Elladan had gone to fight alongside their Ranger friends and returned, either baring wounds of their own, blood from the wounds of their friends that would forever stain the clothes it had fallen on, or, on the few worst situations that had nearly stopped Elrond's heart, the unconscious and bloodied form of Estel, and the Lord would once again take up his seat beside the edan's bed, as he had done countless times through the young mans life, and would then reminisce as he watched over Estel's fragile life.

A number of times the edan had returned to Imladris – although the number of times when he had not been injured made up a very small amount of these times – and each time Elrond had seen the effect time had upon those who lived upon limited time, and was always saddened to remember the short span of time that Estel would have upon the earth – for it was a meagre amount compared to that of an Immortal.

Now, Elrond remembered, pulling from thoughts of the past to return to the present, the Hope of Men was not setting out to the teeth of the demon, but was instead jumping straight into the throat. For should the Enemy learn of who he was, He would surely go to great lengths to destroy the life that pulsed within the fragile body, and therefore destroy everything that everyone had worked so hard to keep hidden.

Yet looking at the man who still stood, facing towards the elves of Elrond's household, he realised that there would be no way that, even if he could, he would be able to prevent Estel from leaving to walk into a waiting danger that chilled the brave hearts of many warriors. Within the steely-grey eyes that stared back into his own, he saw a solid determination; to protect the small Ring-bearer, Frodo, and to see that the Ring, and therefore the Enemy, was destroyed. Elrond knew it would be foolish to try and persuade the edan to turn away from his quest, and thus didn't attempt to, instead he bowed his head slightly, and raised his eyes to see the gesture be returned by Estel before the human turned away and walked through the gates where a blond elf in green and brown stood waiting for him, and Elrond smiled to himself.

The Prince of Mirkwood had been quickly drawn in by Estel, and in a short span of time was friends with the young human and in the years to come had almost become a brotherly figure to him. Of all the times that Estel had returned to Elrond injured, he could guarantee that a number of those had been with Legolas also sporting some injury or another. It had been interesting to watch he Prince of Mirkwood befriend the future King of Gondor, and even now Elrond was able to see that the two would protect each other until the end.

He had been angry when Boromir, the son of the Steward of Gondor himself, had called Estel a _mere Ranger_ like the words had been something unpleasant, and was surprised at how quickly Legolas had jumped to Estel's aid, stating proudly the edan's true identity

_Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and heir to the throne of Gondor._

For that was who Estel was. Elrond knew it now as he watched the two walk away from Imladris to catch up with the rest of the Fellowship. Estel had long been left behind, a fond memory to forever remain in the hearts and minds of the immortals the edan had grown up around, and now he was Aragorn, a future King. The Hope of Men had stepped from the shadows, and was journeying towards the throat of the demon, towards the lair of the Enemy, towards a possible death.

Elrond still stood, long after the Fellowship had left the Elvin Realm, though a small smile graced his face.

The future King of Gondor may be journeying towards danger, but with the present Prince of Mirkwood at his side, Elrond was sure they would both remain alive, for they always had lived when the other stood at their side.

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Translations: (again, apologies if they are incorrect) 

Edan – human

Ion-nin – my son


End file.
